Eagletarian Blog

The NFL lockout -- also known as Kevin Kolb Held Hostage -- continues in its fourth month, as the usual start of training camp gets closer and closer.

Representatives of the two sides met extensively last week in Minneapolis, but the reports seems split -- some optimistic and some pessimistic. The hope, at least, is that some progress is being made, especially with the next court ruling potentially looming.

As we have said before, Kolb is seemingly the poster boy for the situation, remaining stuck in limbo. He wants to be traded; the Eagles seemingly want to move him. The Eagles know what at least some of the potential offers available are. But both sides wait and wait some more until the labor impasse ends.

Expect a feeding frenzy on deals, free agents, signing draft picks and undrafted free agents. Not to mention, we need to first figure out who some of the free agents are with an adjustment possible on how many years are required.

A rite of spring and into the summer has been speculation and analysis of Kolb. That has not changed over the holiday weekend. The assumption has been that Kolb will land with the Arizona Cardinals, although a report months ago from ESPN's Adam Schefter broadened that to the NFC West, meaning Seattle is in the mix.

Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter tweets that the Cardinals will pursue Kolb and the name that the Eagles want in return will "surprise you (patience)."

Dave Mahler, of 950 KJR in Seattle, has "heard from a source" that the Seahawks "have offered" the Eagles both a first- and third-round pick for Kevin Kolb. As pointed out elsewhere, the wording "have offered" suggests that this was either a previous offer and it is unclear where it stands now.

Interesting issue where the Eagles stand now is, do you want players or draft picks in return? if you take picks, you essentially would get nothing for Kolb that would impact the 2011 season, but would have building blocks for the future. The more recent speculation has indicated players are preferred.

So, is Kevin Kolb worth all the fuss from a football standpoint? The class and dignity he has shown throughout his tenure in Philadelphia certainly has shown that he is a good guy off the field and in the locker room.

Gosell's conclustion: I think that overall, you see the same strengths and the same flaws in each game, just in varying degrees depending on the nature of the game. Ultimately, what you see is a quarterback, that when he can play within the rhythm of the offense, and where he can plant and throw, he can be a very efficient player.

When his first read is there, given the route combination and the defense, he’s very, very good. But when that first read is not quite there and he’s forced to reset and look elsewhere, I think he struggles and I think he starts to play a little too fast. He starts to lose his pocket composure. He starts to lose his footwork and I think he starts to lose his downfield focus. You can tell in these types of situations that he’s not getting a clear picture when he has to reset. So, I think, overall, that’s Kolb at this point (in his career).